Many Hollywood superstars lend their voices to HBO Max's super vulgar DC animated series Harley Quinn. Their presence proves the comic-based genre is appealing to the best talent in Tinseltown. Stars who are known and loved for their live television and motion picture prowess sometimes also venture into the evolving sector of animated entertainment.
In the case of Harley Quinn, its voice cast comes from every corner of the industry and are quite familiar. Many are known for their previous HBO work and aren't strangers to speaking the coarse language and others are staples in pop culture because of the iconic characters they've played over the years.
Kaley Cuoco's voice should make fans of The Big Bang Theory feel right at home. She portrayed Penny, the aspiring actress, who danced around her love for neighbor Leonard and sisterly contempt for his eccentric roommate, Sheldon. In the titular role of Harley Quinn, it's almost as if Penny turned to crime and embraced an R-rated vocabulary.
Cuoco first appeared on television on 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter opposite John Ritter of Three's Company. Her association with HBO allowed her to recently become an executive producer and star on The Flight Attendant in addition to Harley Quinn.
As Leon Black, he and his family were taken in by Larry David and his wife Cheryl as part of an adopt a family in need initiative following Hurricane Katrina. After Larry and Cheryl break up, Larry becomes involved with Leon's sister Loretta, but when he betrays her trust, everyone except Leon moves out and he has mooched off Larry ever since (becoming his side kick for the past few seasons of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm)
JB Smoove is the perfect choice to bring Frank the Plant to life in Harley Quinn. He is constantly disillusioned with his figure, often ranting in loud obscenities like he does on Curb that draws constant laughs. Yet, he manages to portray Frank as a grateful member of Harley's entourage, even if he can't leave the abandoned mall complex that is their hideout.
Chris Meloni starred as Detective Elliot Stabler for 12 seasons on Law & Order Special Victims Unit opposite Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson tracking the worst criminals of New York City. He reprised his role as Stabler, recently, in the most recent installment of the Dick Wolf-created franchise with Law & Order: Organized Crime.
In Harley Quinn, Meloni voices a disgruntled and often inebriated Commissioner Jim Gordon, who has to deal with Harley's band of misfits after they wreak havoc on Gotham City. However, when Joker occupies Gotham from his ivory tower bearing his likeness, and with Batman missing, Gordon forms an unlikely alliance with Quinn as she attempts to dethrone her former partner.
Lake Bell first came on the Hollywood scene through television roles as attorney Sally Heep in David E. Kelley's The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal (followed later by scientist Laura Daughtery in Surface). Recently, Bell branched out helming two episodes of Pam & Tommy as director.
In the adult-oriented and empowering Harley Quinn, she plays Poison Ivy, Harley's best friend and trusted ally, who is conflicted between her attraction to Harley and Kite Man (who fans would love to see get his own show as well). Although a supervillain, herself, she advised Harley to avoid joining the Legion of Doom and was proven correct.
Alan Tudyk is probably the most well-known voice actor of the modern era. Tudyk currently has 139 separate filmography credits (according to his IMDb profile). As Joker, he gives Mark Hamill, famous for his own interpretation of the Batman villain in the 1990s Animated Series, a run for his money with a relaxed and befuddled impression of the Clown Prince of Crime.
Recently, his voice amplified a quirky protocol droid designated K-2S0 as a member of Jyn Erso's espionage team in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. One of his earliest voice credits was Alex Proyas' I-Robot starring opposite Will Smith as Sonny, a robot given the gift of emotion, who leads a rebellion with fellow automatons against their corporate masters.
Jason Alexander has a long resume of voice credits including various characters from the family sitcom Dinosaurs, Eric Duckman in Duckman and Hugo from Disney's The Hunchback of Norte Dame. Of course, when it comes to his name being uttered publicly, it is most likely in reference to everyone's favorite "lord of the idiots" George Costanza on Seinfeld.
Alexander plays Sy Borgman in Harley Quinn, a career criminal who is also Harley's landlord. At first, he is perceived to be an annoyance to the squad, often ignored and ridiculed by the squad. However, things change when his experience in the intelligence sector comes in handy during some of Harley's riskier ventures.
Tony Hale is perhaps best recognized for embodying the child-invented personality of Forky from Toy Story 4. Hale has also acted on-screen too, with his most recognizable personas being the quirky, anxiety-ridden Buster Bluth from Arrested Development and Selena Meyer's body man, Gary Walsh, on Veep.
However, when Hale starts hurling f-bombs and c-words on HBO Max's unfiltered DC animated series Harley Quinn as Doctor Psycho, he suddenly becomes a cringe-worthy villain. While despicable in nature, Psycho (with Hale's consistent delivery) adds a hysterically funny character to the unique ensemble cast of the show.
Giancarlo Esposito's short stint on Harley Quinn saw him voice Lex Luthor, a top tier DC villain, who oversees the Legion of Doom and its many members (including Penguin, Bane, and Riddler, among others). He has flown under the radar for most of his career but is among the most sought-after talent in the industry today.
Esposito's film credits stretch back to 1992's Spike Lee film Malcolm X, in which he played one of three men who assassinate Denzel Washington's titular historical figure. Among his most recent accomplishments was playing Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and playing Moth Gideon on The Mandalorian.
Wanda Sykes is a jack of all trades, primarily known as a standup comedian who has been featured in specials for HBO and Netflix. She has much experience in voice acting too, featuring in movies such as Rio and two Ice Age sequels. Her longest-tenured role was Barb Baran on The New Adventures of Old Christine, which she starred alongside Julia Louis Dreyfuss.
Skyes fit in perfectly with Harley Quinn's entourage as The Queen of Fables, a Justice League villain whose mastery of sorcery was appealing, at first, to Harley's criminal ambitions until Fables began to exhibit homicidal tendencies. She wound up taking Harley's seat on the Legion of Doom and became Harley's nemesis throughout season 1.
Wayne Knight has been a recurring presence in film and television since the 1980s. Knight is the voice behind Harley Quinn's incarnation of The Penguin, a senior Legion of Doom member. His comically sinister take on Gotham's top crime lord could perhaps inspire a live-action adaptation in the future.
Some of his more notable credits include Dirty Dancing, Basic Instinct, and Space Jam. He is, however, infamously connected with the original Jurassic Park film as hacker Dennis Nedry and Jerry Seinfeld's obnoxious neighbor Newman, who worked for the post office and hung out with Kramer.
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